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In lugnet.technic, Steve Bliss writes:
> In lugnet.general, Johannes Keukelaar wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > This is sure to cause some controversy and stir up some discussion on
> > this forum:
> > http://www.lineone.net/telegraph/2001/07/08/news/why_46.html
> >
> > More discussion of this over on /.:
> > http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/07/08/221215&mode=nested
> >
> > Now I'll just sit back and watch the sparks fly, I think.
>
> I think Sir Harry hasn't checked out the crap Meccano is offering these
> days. "Erector, Jr." anyone?
I can only speculate that Sir Harry is referring to Meccano's Golden Age,
which was anytime prior to the late 1960's. Meccano, in it's day, offered
sets which allowed for an amazing range of building possibilities. They
offered an astounding array of pieces which closely and accurately mimic
real-life building and engineering materials.
Interestingly, unlike LEGO, most Meccano sets were not theme-based. Rather,
they were what we would likely refer to as "Universal Building Sets".
But you're absolutely correct. Today's meager offerings which are labeled
with the Meccano trademark are hardly what might inspire future engineers.
That said, the LEGO company would do well to learn two lessons from Meccano.
1) Nothing lasts forever. Meccano, for many reasons, did not survive in
its original form, nor retain its original glory. Careful attention must be
paid to all aspects of the product and the company in order to ensure survival.
2) Fans of your product can last a long long time. My dad has been a
Meccano builder\collector for almost 50 of its 100 year history. He and
many like him keep alive the product in its better forms. Their aftermarket
trading\buying\selling has been going on for many years... long before
eBay... long before the term AFOL was coined.
For anyone who's interested... here's a link to a nice chronology of the
Meccano system:
http://users.actcom.co.il/~anthias/josthist.html
Meccano has some wonderful attributes... as does LEGO. LEGO is much more
digital, while Meccano is better likened to analog. I've seen wonderful
creations made from both systems and have an equal fondness for each.
Regards,
Allan B.
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